Henry Burris is hoping some home cooking will do him — and his team — some good.

The veteran quarterback is heading back to Calgary Saturday to be reunited with his family and to play his first game in McMahon Stadium since being traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January. The 37-year-old spent nine of his 13 seasons with the Stampeders.

“I'm looking forward to going to the place that got me started in this league. I have a lot of great memories there, still a lot of great friends on the team,” Burris said. “But they're my friends before the game and after the game but during the game, we're doing what it takes to win.”

Burris' family — wife Nicole, and his two young sons, Armand and Barron — spent time with dad in Hamilton over the summer, but have returned to Calgary to start the school year.

The last time he saw them was during the team's road trip to Edmonton in early October.

“It will be good to see my little guys, have some fun with them and actually sleep in my own bed,” said Burris, who will stay an extra day after the rest of the club heads back to Hamilton. “I'm going to spend some family time — I miss them to death.”

While Burris will undoubtedly get a warm welcome at home, how he'll be greeted by the Calgary fans is an open question. He had some stellar campaigns in a Stampeders jersey — including a Grey Cup win in 2008 and the 2010 CFL most outstanding player award — but there were bouts of inconsistency which ultimately cost him his starting job last season.

“All you want is to be respected for everything that you've done. We went through a lot of great experiences. I don't worry about that — I'm a Ticat, the opposition, so if they boo me, they boo me.”

Saturday's game will be the second of two meetings between Hamilton and Calgary this season and the first did not go well for Burris or his team. The Cats lost 31-20 and Burris threw for 261 yards on 21 of 40 passing, one touchdown and an interception.

After the game, he acknowledged that he let his emotions get the better of him, something he doesn't expect to happen this time around.

“It just goes to finally getting over that hurdle and dealing with it. Going back home, there will be some emotions involved — I'll be pumped up and ready to go.

“When you experience things you learn from those experiences and you're able to respond better the next time.”

With the team playing for their playoff lives — they are two games back of both Edmonton and Toronto for a post-season berth with just three games remaining — Burris says he doesn't really have the time or the inclination to get nostalgic.

“I have a million other things I have to worry about ... the last thing I can worry about is what anybody outside those lines are thinking,” he said. “This game is huge. This week is all about the team and family after that.”

Notes: With Edmonton and Toronto each playing Friday night, the Cats will know the stakes by the time they suit up Saturday. If Edmonton and Toronto are victorious, Hamilton could be facing the prospect of needing to win all three of their remaining games to even have a chance at the playoffs. Head coach George Cortez has been reluctant to call any game this season a must-win but ... “It's about as close as it could be when it's not,” he said. “There are still two scenarios there that would be good for us, but they all involve us winning.” ... A number of players missed practice on Tuesday, the team's first of three in the lead-up to Saturday's tilt against Calgary. Among those sitting out: linebacker Jamall Johnson, centre Tim O'Neill, defensive back Dee Webb and defensive tackle Jermaine McElveen, though Cortez said all four may play this weekend. O'Neill's injury is of particular concern given that two veteran Canadian offensive lineman — Peter Dyakowski and Marwan Hage — are already down. “That's become one of our problem spots,” Cortez said. “It's not the best situation but it's the situation we have.” On a positive note, veteran linebacker Markeith Knowlton practised Tuesday and Cortez is optimistic he'll play Saturday.